Sacrifice
by Lee Savage
Summary: AU theory. Oneshot. Post Savage Lands. Chiro never thought it would cost them so much.


Sacrifice

_His friend stared at him with dark, dull eyes_.

Chiro had a father once. When he was thirteen, he'd been given a father. He was an orphan with no recollections of his earlier years, but_ now _he _had _a family. The hyperforce had given him everything a son would want. Sure, they were aware of his faults, but they were helpful, not critical. They made the teenager happy, and for once he didn't feel used.

He wished he could repay them.

Wishes... Ah yes.

Ambitions. Aspirations. Desires. Dreams. Fantasies.

When his family was threatened, even though he was in a hazy limbo as he scurried through a vast wasteland, Chiro ran.

Chiro _dreamed._ The world was a large and blurry slide show in his head.

He wanted to succeed in the Mission. Whatever this was, he wouldn't give in to the soreness in his legs. He had agility on his side.

Antauri wouldn't give in or let go.

When he revived Antauri, a bright light flashed and probed into his head. All of his memories flooded back. What was strange was that not all of them were _his. _He envisioned several other planets. He saw one utopia with glittering spires with the coloring and smoothness of a verdant strand of glass. In his mind, he saw turmoil. There were smoke and rubble. Blood and bones.

When the boy awoke from his state, he was confused and burdened.

He hurt.

There was one special memory he couldn't place. It caused a flood of emotions. It made his heart race.

Oddly, there were no images associated with this feeling. Perhaps there were, but he was unable to break the dam in his mind.

He wished _yet _again. He wished Antauri would help. Chiro wanted--_needed _Antauri to help.

His mentor hadn't spoken to him ever since they'd entered the Super Robot.

Once again, Chiro would feel pain. There was a burden in his mind, both glamorous and terrifying. The boy could do nothing but dwell at these strange thoughts implanted in his head.

The Chosen One stared at Antauri, who was gazing aimlessly out of a small window. The silver one didn't--_refused_ to stare back.

Chiro wanted to scream. Surely Antauri was feigning ignorance of his presence. It wasn't likely that his mental powers were damaged in any way.

Who was this being masquerading as a simian? Who or _what _would dare mimic Antauri's voice? Chiro tried to concentrate and probe deep into his mentor's thoughts.

He could find nothing, but Antauri suddenly looked disturbed.

"Antauri, what happened when you died?"

It was a bold and stupid question. However, the response was even more unexpected.

"I don't know."

The teen was truly concerned when he and his mentor exchanged glances and he realized that the wise simian was just as bemused as he was. Part of Chiro wanted to fume and scream at Antauri, but he was too tired and had too much respect for the sterling other. Was respect the right word? Affection, maybe?

"But...you _did _die... How could you not know?"

"Did I?"

"Yes! I saw it happen!"

"Perhaps it was meant to be."

"Huh? How could you say that? You were great back in the Savage Lands! You have a new, stronger body and new abilities! Why would you want all of this taken away?" Chiro was furious. How could Antauri act so ungrateful at his second chance?

"I don't feel whole, Chiro. I feel...cold and empty."

"But you _are _whole, Antauri. You're standing right there."

"Am I?"

"Yes Antauri! Stop asking these questions!" Chiro raised his voice. "You can't be a part of something and still be considered alive! Listen, a lot of weird things happened to you--_us _back there, and now I'm seeing things in my head that I don't understand, but everything will be okay if we try to put this behind us. We just have to try together, okay?"

Antauri blinked.

"Are you sure you don't know the answer to your questions?"

The Chosen One blinked too. "I'm sorry Antauri, but I don't understand."

"I'm sure you're wondering why I don't feel alive, and why you've been having stirrings in your inner consciousness."

"Yeah..."

"I believe," Antauri's eyes penetrated Chiro's. Blue against blue. "that you, _Chiro, _have a piece of my soul. I have lost access to many of my memories, and my senses have dulled. My control has lessened over my own body."

"That can't be it! Of course you're having trouble. You're just not used to a fully robotic body."

"The Alchemist may have made slight differences in his individual designs, but a fully robotic body isn't as hard to adjust to once you've grown accustomed to being a cyborg. There are several advantages and disadvantages. You truly don't comprehend my meaning when I declare that I don't feel whole. My physical and mental capacities have suffered, but my spirit is _broken. _Chiro, you have the missing pieces. A part of me has bonded with you, and it is now a part of your wholeness."

Chiro restrained most of his shock. He had _stolen _from Antauri when he was trying to give something back? He had jeopardized the situation, and his relationship with his mentor? Well, it was good because he could benefit the team much better as a human than a monkey. However, how long could they hide their inner conflicts before it hurt the others?

Great. Just great.

Chiro felt a whole knew burden being strapped onto his shoulders. He stood beside his beloved mentor and placed a hand on his metallic shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Antauri." The teen was barely able to choke out these words with the horrible thoughts that dawned upon them.

The silver simian took one hand and rested it upon Chiro's. He stared into the space in front of him.

"It's all right, Chiro. I don't blame you. You did what you thought was best, and for that, I'm very proud."

Antauri's hand was ice cold.

---

Author's note- Feedback welcome. Deep, thoughtful reviews appreciated. Please no, "it was kinda mushy..." or "Cool, when are u gonna update?"

Antauri's purposely OOC due to the issue given in the story. This is an AU theory I've been working on. Have you wished that somebody who died would come back to life? We never take into consideration the fact that they may be too frail or too sickly and that sometimes, dead is better. Human beings tend to act without being cautious about the consequences. Do you believe that the World Beyond is something that a person needs saving from? There, of course, would be good things that have a _possibility _of showing up, but how do we know if we aren't aware of what we're tampering with?


End file.
